Two suspected thugs killed as officer slashed with machete

Two men died and a policeman was slashed with a machete in separate incidents in Likoni and Chaani in Mombasa.

And early yesterday, Mombasa police stormed a house in Makande and detained ten imams, but set them free after brief questioning.

According to Mombasa County Police Commander Robert Kitur, the imams from Mackinnon Road township in Kwale County were arrested on assumption that they were engaged in radicalisation of the youth.

They were released after police learned that they were actually involved in fighting radicalisation.

"They are now free," Mr Kitur said.

Early yesterday and late Saturday, two men were killed after police confronted suspected robbers, who authorities claimed had raided a warehouse and stolen computer accessories.

One was shot and killed and police said a second suspect is believed to have fallen into a well and drowned as he fled from police.

But members of the late Paul Wabwire's family have disputed police accounts that he died while fleeing from police and also dismissed claims that he was a criminal.

According to Kitur, police on patrol were alerted about a break-in at a local warehouse before laying an ambush. "They encountered violent robbers in a yard and tried to stop them, but they resisted," said Kitur.

He said police opened fire and killed one person as the others fled during which "one of them fell into a well."

 gate shut

But Chrispin Wekesa, a cousin of the deceased, claimed that Paul arrived home at around 9.30pm and found the main gate shut, before a neighbour later opened it for him.

He said that afterwards, neighbours heard a loud bang and groaning and rushed to check. On searching the well using a torch, Chrispin says he discovered that his cousin had plunged 40-feet.

They later managed to get him out of the well and rushed him to hospital where he died while undergoing treatment.

In Chaani where an unnamed police officer was slashed in the head, Kitur said two officers guarding the Jesus Worship Centre left their post to answer to a distress call in the neighbourhood, only to be attacked.

"The officers were guarding a church when someone came to tell them that some crime was being committed somewhere," he said.

On reaching the house where the said crime was allegedly being committed, one of the officers was attacked as his colleague kept guard outside.

Kitur said the man who slashed the officer had grabbed his gun and tried to run away with it, but was captured by residents and the weapon recovered. Kitur said the unnamed officer is undergoing treatment at Pandya Memorial Hospital in Mombasa.